News

The Canadian Plastics Industry Association teamed up with UW to host the second annual, invitation-only Partnerships Workshop. The full-day event engaged experts from universities, government and industry, facilitating new network connections to create important insights and ideas on the future of waste management. Wide ranging discussions included waste-related matters from evidence-based decision making and policy planning to reduction through resource recovery and final disposal

Energy Day 2014 invited over 100 stakeholders from academia, industry, the community, and government agencies to explore discussion addressing energy entrepreneurship and the future of energy service delivery. The event included energy research presentations, poster displays, panel discussions, and networking opportunities for researchers, graduate and undergraduate students, community organizations and industry professionals.

The Energy Panel on Biofuels and Waste Treatment event was co-hosted with the Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology (CBB) and highlighted work being conducted in biotechnology through a panel discussion, faculty and industry representative talks, and presentations showcasing graduate student work.

The SDTC Virtual Incubator™ Workshops targeted entrepreneurs with early-stage clean technologies who planned on applying to SDTC for funding and provide those entrepreneurs and prospective applicants with key information and practical guidance to prepare a quality SOI submission. The session enabled prospective applicants to assess the potential fit of their technology with SDTC’s SD Tech Fund, and to help gain an understanding of the application process and key evaluation criteria.

The Solid Waste Management Partnerships Workshop 2014, invited 40 stakeholders from academia, industry and government agencies to advance discussions regarding research, development and demonstrations of solid waste management in Canada. The workshop explored opportunities for collaboration and integration of efforts on solid waste management research. Essentially, the workshop agenda focused on discussing three research themes, including resource recovery, energy recovery, and analysis and policy. The workshop overall, aimed at contributing to a more coordinated activity for solid waste management research and development in Canada.

The public was invited to join WISE members, industry experts and students for an enlightening day of energy research lectures, presentations, and discussions. The event provided opportunities to tour labs, meet researchers and make connections.

Advancing public dialogue on energy issues through analysis and evidence-based assessment is an important function of the Institute. A current example is the leadership WISE has shown in developing the concept of a smart energy network.

WISE members were joined by senior international leadership from Germany and Japan for an evening of casual conversation. The participants made connections, shared experiences, and learned more about the emerging field of 'smart energy'.

SEN Canada 2013 brought together 65 leaders in government, utilities, business, civil society and academia to start the discussion about the potential role of integrated, multiple-fuel, and communicative systems in Canada's energy future. The event fostered an understanding of SEN, providing an opportunity to participate in discussions that advance SEN in Canada with national and international speakers, researchers and other relevant stakeholders.

The forum brought together representatives from local electric distribution companies, Waterloo researchers, and supporting partners to discuss the latest utility-related electric vehicle (EV) research and explore collaboration pathways based on the Drive4Data initiative. Participants indicated they would be willing to share their electric vehicle data with WISE or be directly involved in advancing the initiative.

WISE hosted a two-day electric vehicle test drive event in partnership with Mitsubishi. The aim was to engage with the local community and elicit their input into the design of WISE's Drive4Data initiative. The event was highly successful, attracting local utilities, municipalities and the high-tech sector. A large majority of participants indicated they would be willing to share their electric vehicle data with WISE, while 30 per cent indicated they would like to be directly involved in advancing the initiative.